As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Any ideas on modes of transportation for 10 people? We are trying to plan multi-generational trip to include me and my kids, my sister and her kids and my parents. We were hoping to travel together, but RVs will only hold a max of 7 people. Does anyone have any other thoughts on how to travel all together?
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While two cars may not only be cheaper on the way there and back, we have travelled with extended family many times it it is always great to be able to get a little "separate" time. Two cars will leave you less joined at the hip and allow other to do things even if the car is occupied.
I agree with the two vehicles idea. You can always rotate passengers as well as drivers when you stop for meals, gas and "I need out of this car now" bathroom/leg stretching breaks. Plus as Huntermom said I can see how the break from each other or being able to do two different things ei. stay in the parks and go back to the resort for a break could save everyone's sanity and your relationships.
I would choose the 2 vehicles. We're taking a multi-generational trip later this summer with 7 of us (me, DH, DS-13, DM, DF, DSis, DBiL) and while we have a vehicle where we all will fit seating wise, we would all have to be extremely light packers for it to work. But the biggest deciding factor in taking 2 vehicles for us (maybe even 3 -we're still thinking on that) is the ability to split our group at times. We know that we won't all want to do the same things all the time and we want to have options. It will be good for our sanity too .
I'd go with 2 larger SUVs. Unless you were wanting to live in the RV, then maybe rent two of those. You'd be surprised how much space that many people will actually take up when you pack for a week or more away.
Also, if you're not used to driving one, RVs can be difficult to maneuver. Think about how big they are. Now think about just stopping at the grocery or at a restaurant.
How many drivers would there be? You can always switch around, giving Mom and Dad time with each grandchild, with different ages, etc.
Travelers include me, with dd and ds, almost 15 at the time of the trip, dsis and dbil with niece and 2 nephews, almost 11 at the time of the trip, and my parents. We would be driving from WI to TN. My mom would like to drive to Memphis and then across the state, stopping in Nashville and a few little stops before landing in Gatlinburg. My aunt and uncle are in Murfreesboro. Although we have 5 drivers, my dsis suffers from sleep apnea and isn't comfortable driving long distances. It is sometimes hard to separate the multiples so we thought it may be worth it to see if anyone had ideas that would get us all in one vehicle.